Why are Bulgarians so often victims of labor exploitation in Germany? What can be done to change this situation? Bulgarians who have suffered from the exploitation of their employers in Germany are more than Poles and Romanians, which is a real paradox - considering that one country is neighboring the Federal Republic, and the other has a population of 19 million, we learn from Irina Lazarova - labor law consultant in the BEMA project: Berlin Consulting Center for Migration and Decent Work. She explains that Poles constantly cross the border with Germany, where they come to work, know the situation and therefore have fewer problems. And Romania, as mentioned, has a much larger population, and yet the cases in which expert advice is sought for violated labor rights are much fewer.
DV: What is your explanation?
I. Lazarova: Many misunderstandings arise from ignorance of the language - this is the first, the second - they leave very easily, probably based on the difficult situation in Bulgaria in recent years. They leave Bulgaria for Germany because they have been promised something that they very easily believe. The Poles have a more realistic idea of how things are than in some poor Bulgarian village, where there is no work and whatever you offer the person, he will believe. There is no information, he has no way to judge - and he leaves. The main industries in which Bulgarians work in Germany are cleaning, construction, meat processing, courier services, elderly care and agriculture.
DV: What are the main problems that these people face when they come to Germany to work?
I. Lazarova: First of all - unpaid salary, in whole or in part. Second - termination of the employment relationship, dismissals or signing of agreements to terminate the legal relationship by mutual consent, without people being aware of the consequences for them. That is why it happens that they then seek consultation and we try, for example, to withdraw their signatures, which is not always possible - if time has passed. Thirdly, there is a lack of documents - a written employment contract, pay slips, written dismissal. In fourth place is unemployment benefits, which are often related to the lack of documents - if there is no written employment contract and no pay slips, then it is very difficult to receive benefits. But all this is not due only to the workers - a large part of the employers do not comply with the legislation.
DV: How do you manage to help them?
I. Lazarova: When they come to us, we first review the documents they bring and try to resolve the problems out of court. We contact the employers, explain the situation - we act as mediators between the two parties to see where the problem lies. Some of the employers agree to give in, others do not, and then it comes to court. In these cases, we support the people seeking help to go to the labor court, file a claim, and prepare them for the first hearing. A large part of the results are achieved at that hearing and there is no need for a second hearing - some compromise is found. About 65 percent of cases are successfully resolved. Last year in Berlin alone we managed to collect about 130,000 euros through judicial or extrajudicial means. The amount may not seem large, but for some people even 500 euros are important.
DV: How do people with such problems find their way to you?
I. Lazarova: From the Internet, from social networks, by word of mouth from acquaintances or social workers, and often they also get our contacts from the embassy. From the link to our consulting network you can find out in which province there are consultants who speak Bulgarian, there are 11 of them in Germany.
DV: You hold seminars in Bulgaria with the National Commission for Combating Human Trafficking – what problems are highlighted there?
I. Lazarova: We had the opportunity to meet with the mediators - labor, health and education, who are responsible specifically for the Roma community and are from it, are trained to help other Roma and enjoy their trust. And when it comes to Bulgarians in Germany, deprived of rights or money - they communicate, hear stories and can refer to us. The other thing, which is much more important for us, is prevention - to prevent possible exploitation or committing a crime in its infancy. That is why we had an exercise with three job advertisements in Germany - we show them to the mediators, they analyze them and try to find the traps. We trained them how to find them and what to watch out for - when it comes to "secured accommodation", for example, around which dependencies may have been created, or to paid insurance, but for some reason in Slovakia. This particular ad was 10 pages long, very detailed and could give the impression that it was serious, but it is natural to ask why the insurance is paid in Slovakia if the job is in Germany.
Therefore, our recommendation is to learn the language, so that people can say their name, know the numbers up to ten in German, be able to indicate their address and not be helpless if they need to seek assistance - for example, from the police.
DV: And is there a tendency for people to leave a little more knowledgeable and better prepared?
I. Lazarova: I also noticed at the trainings in Bulgaria - they collected information materials, asked a lot. They are starting to get their bearings, they know that they have rights. I notice that here in Germany, too, Bulgarians want to defend their rights, they are ready to go to court, they are not afraid.
DV: What is the most dramatic case you have encountered?
I. Lazarova: A company in Germany with a Bulgarian owner, who has been in Germany for a long time and has the relevant contacts, takes a building for renovation - an old building in very poor condition, requiring major repairs. He takes it and what does he do - he hires couriers to work and accommodates them there, i.e. the building will not be repaired at all, he does not have any expenses for accommodating people. The employer partially provides them, generously gives them loans, placing them in complete dependence. The couriers worked overtime, for which they were not paid at all - a series of laws were violated. One of the guys, whose wife was about to give birth, turned to me. While everything was being resolved, the baby was born. There we went to court, we also helped with a lawyer and finally reached an agreement with the employer - i.e. everything ended successfully.
DV: Are there new forms of exploitation or do the tried and tested old schemes remain effective?
I. Lazarova: The old schemes work, such as with the toilets in the malls. Companies rent the toilets, hire people for a four-hour workday, they are paid for that and their social security contributions, and they sit there for 12 hours a day. They are not paid the rest, and it is not clear how much the accommodation they are provided costs. These people cannot even afford the “luxury” of getting sick, because someone has to sit and collect the money for the toilet. And they cannot stay at home either, because someone else will have to be placed there to replace them at work. As a result of precisely such exploitation, I received a call about a boy from the Berlin clinic “Charité“ - that he had been admitted there with burns, poisoning and panic attacks due to working six days a week for 12 hours in the shopping center. We managed to help him leave for Plovdiv, but he had lost trust in the police – therefore, he did not give evidence to continue the investigation.
Information campaigns and training are currently the only way to reduce at least gross labor exploitation – so that people do not fall into extreme situations in which their health or life is threatened. Unpaid vacations and sick leave are “white trash” against this background.
According to official data from the Prosecutor's Office of Bulgaria, in 2023, 39 people were identified as victims of trafficking for the purpose of forced labor, 25 of them were men and 14 were women. Men are usually more numerous, but there is an increase in women who become victims of this crime. In 2024, the National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings registered 13 cases of human trafficking for the purpose of labor exploitation, with destination countries being Germany, Greece, the Czech Republic and Norway, the chief expert in the commission, Ernesta Ruseva, told DW.
DW: What are the most worrying cases you have encountered?
E. Ruseva: Germany is one of the leading countries for labor migration of Bulgarian citizens, which also poses risks of involvement in human trafficking and forced labor. Often the difference between cases of trafficking and those of violated labor rights is very thin. Particularly risky sectors are construction, meat processing and services related to the care of the elderly and sick.
In cases of labor exploitation, employers or intermediaries who assist on the spot often withhold workers' documents under various pretexts and insist that people sign contracts in a language they do not speak. Employees work without a day off, with excessively long working hours and pay below the minimum wage. Another way that employers use to keep victims of exploitation in subjection is by imposing debt - for having "arranged" them for work or by giving them loan after loan that they fail to repay from their wages. In many cases, workers live in extremely poor conditions, without access to medical care or running water. If they do not speak the language well or are afraid, they often do not seek help. And in cases where they decide to stand up to the exploiters, they often become the object of violence.
DV: Information is especially important in this case - is this understood enough by Bulgarians who leave for Germany?
E. Russeva: Many people are looking for opportunities for better work and life abroad, especially if they live in regions with high unemployment rates and are experiencing financial difficulties. They often tend to underestimate the risks of being involved in trafficking and exploitation - they trust dubious job advertisements on the Internet and social networks that offer too high pay for low-skilled labor. They sometimes come across unlicensed employment agents or are even misled by relatives and friends.
People are not sufficiently informed about the living and working conditions in Germany or another foreign country, they do not know their labor, health and social security rights, and they do not know who to turn to for help.
Bulgarian citizens who have become victims of trafficking and exploitation can seek help from the police, the Bulgarian Embassy in Berlin, and can also report to the human trafficking hotline 080020100, which is dialed with the code for Bulgaria from abroad (+359). On the hotline, people who are planning to go to work abroad can also check suspicious job advertisements – if something bothers them, they can call, share their concerns and receive feedback within 72 hours.
Author: Bilyana Mihaylova